(April 14, 2022) For many current ETSU students, fellow student Bryce Hopkins might have been the first person they got to interact with from the campus community. Bryce is a member of both the Preview and Orientation Leaders Organization (POLO) and the Expedition Leaders, two organizations that help prospective students transition in to college life. To Bryce, serving with these organizations has a personal meaning.
“I'm a first-generation college student,” said Bryce. “So, what I like to tell people that is whatever background you're coming from, ETSU is going to be an accepting place for you. The reason I tell people about being a first-generation college student is because someone might be scared like I was.”
Bryce is from Greeneville, Tennessee, where his mother, Lauren Hopkins, still lives. Lauren sometimes worked two jobs, often 50- or 60-hour weeks, to support Bryce. Lauren saw a love of learning in Bryce from a young age, and she hoped that her own struggles would inspire Bryce to bigger and better things.
“You want to be able to not work two jobs,” said Lauren, “And that sometimes takes higher education to do so. That's kind of where I think a lot of his drive comes from, too, is knowing that things can be easier.”
Lauren was concerned about her limited ability to help Bryce reach higher education, having never gone through that process herself, but Bryce found a mentor in Michael Laposky, his high school guidance counsellor. When it came time for Bryce to apply to colleges, Laposky helped him fill out applications and complete his FAFSA.
“He knew where he wanted to go and a pretty much knew was his major,” said Laposky, “He just didn't know anything else. I mean, he had all the decisions made. He didn't know the steps.”
Bryce chose ETSU because it was close to home. He liked that the campus was big enough to contain many new and exciting adventures, but that the university was small enough that he could meet and connect with people.
One of Bryce’s first new experiences at ETSU was the ETSU 1020 course, known as “Foundations of Student Success.” Bryce’s section of ETSU 1020 was taught by Dr. Amy Johnson, who Bryce described as a “lovely soul.”
“I love teaching ETSU 1020,” said Johnson. “It is one of my favorite courses to teach. One of the things that we do in the course is a lot of career exploration and a lot of thinking about how you make who you are match who you want to be, and the kind of work you want to do in the world.”
Bryce’s status as a first-generation college student helped him realize the necessity of making a good impression on incoming students. This drive is why he serves with POLO, where he receives frequent compliments. He is well noted for his passion for connecting new students and their families with campus, and for guiding them through the admissions process.
Despite the busy schedule of his life at university, Bryce keeps his mother in his thoughts, and he visits her often.
“There's not a day that goes by that she's not working to better me," said Bryce. "She betters me over herself some days. And that's the reason that I do the things that I do; so I can better her.”